Christian Vazquez continues to impress as ‘one of the premier catching prospects

WEEI Boston | Mar 2

Christian Vazquez continues to impress in Red Sox camp.

The latest raves came from John Farrell after Vazquez threw out Minnesota’s Jermaine Mitchell trying to steal second base in the seventh inning at Hammond Stadium.

“Another one you probably saw last year,” Farrell said Sunday, referring to the many runners he threw out for Double-A Portland in 2013.

That’s something that has continued this spring in camp. “He’s thrown out every runner in camp he’s come across. He’s now 11-for-11,” Farrell reported.

“What’s impressive to me is the progress he’s making with the bat. There’s more strength in his swing, there’s more solid impact, drove the ball good to right-center field and then there was the home run the other day. When you look at the numbers, it’s heading in the right direction. He’s on a very good path.”

What will it take for Vazquez to reach the next level?

“Number of at-bats and I think as he’s getting stronger, that’s the thing that starts out,” Farrell said. “This is a guy when he first signed, there were some difficulty getting through a nine-inning game and now he might be one of the premier catching prospects in the game.”